so can we talk about Jon Ehrens real quick… Jon is an incredibly talented friend of mine who has dabbled in every music genre imaginable.in an older post of mine, i discussed the sped-up, squeeky-sweet pop sound of Jon’s band Art Department and the screamin rock n roll dance party vibes of Repelican. anyway, Jon’s latest project White Life is a synthy/funky/soulful team up with his sister, Emily. Baltimore’s city paper did a much more eloquent write up which you can read here. my current fave on the album is “Time is Wasting“…it sounds like a post-disastrous prom theme in a John Hughes film. you can $purchase$ the record or download Mp3’s if you click this here link right here… …………………………………………… so i’ve begun the laborious process of editing the hundreds of photos from my cross country trip with my dad…well “cross country”, California-Arizona-Colorado-Kansas-Missouri-TENNESSEE. i’m not sure if there is a true theme emerging yet, but i’m hoping i can end up with some kind of cohesive set. anyway, here are some of my faves! you can see all the rest on my flickr…

its funny when you run into a song that says exactly what you need to hear. that reinforces the lesson you’re currently learning about yourself that commiserates with your heartbreak. i remember hearing this album, “the taller you are, the shorter you get” by My Dad is Dead when i was little. you can listen to the whole thing online here. my own dad (not dead) always had excellent music taste and this was one of his favorite albums to blast on sunday mornings. anyway, “the big picture”—extremely relevant chorus…

I could spend my whole life Thinking about what’s important to me I could spend my whole life Thinking about what matters to me I could spend my whole life Worrying about what’s going to happen to me I could waste my whole life Thinking about just what it is my life means

Sometimes what matters doesn’t really matter at all Sometimes it doesn’t fit inside the big picture

Sometimes I need to be just where I am Sometimes I need to know that right here is good enough ………………………………………………..

so i finally got a new camera. mine got lost in the move and i never really had the capital to replace it. but now im about to go on a trip cross country with my dad, so fuckit. i got a nikon coolpix s8100 in GOLD cause im an ART ST*R.

so i drove to santa paula to visit my aunt and took a million pictures. what follows are most of my favorites but the entire album is on flickr to peruse.

california is a beautiful place, easy to take artsy snapshots of. however as i started taking pictures, i found myself especially attracted to how human life interacts with this paradise. california’s environment is an entirely forced state of nature. sure, agriculture thrives in a sunny climate, but this place is a desert. water is piped in, gardens are transplanted, bees are shipped in to pollinate fields of monoculture crops. its completely fake. no rain, a temperate mall climate.

this past semester, i haven’t been myself, ive been trying to force myself into a place i don’t want to be. and i think with a lot of these pictures, im thinking about people living places they shouldnt. plastic mingling with plant life….

to me, the ideal manifestation of that idea of forced habitation, is the shopping cart. a human invention used to aid in consumerism. here in california, theyre often stolen and left in neighborhoods, overturned in gardens, crashed into palm trees. still working on editing these….

when i got to santa ana, we did it all. car show, vintage prop plane show at the airport, indie music fest where i saw REDD KROSS and a bunch of bullshit, and then drove home on the CA 1 along the coast line. here are a couple of my faves, the entire album is on flickflickflickr…..

i think i want to cut my bangs again i’ve kinda lost sight of who i want to be///what i want to look like

talking heads:::seen and not seen<—click He would see faces in movies, on T.V., in magazines, and in books…. He thought that some of these faces might be right for him….And through the years, by keeing an ideal facial structure fixed in his mind….Or somewhere in the back of his mind….That he might, by force of will, cause his face to approach those of his ideal….The change would be very subtle….It might take ten years or so…. Gradually his face would change its’ shape….A more hooked nose… Wider, thinner lips….Beady eyes….A larger forehead.

He imagined that this was an ability he shared with most other people….They had also molded their faced according to some ideal….Maybe they imagined that their new face would better suit their personality….Or maybe they imagined that their personality would be forced to change to fit the new appear- ance….This is why first impressions are often correct… Although some people might have made mistakes….They may have arrived at an appearance that bears no relationship to them…. They may have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish whim, or momentary impulse….Some may have gotten half-way there, and then changed their minds. He wonders if he too might have made a similar mistake.

i wonder if i too might have made a similar mistake…..

…………………………………………………………………………. so yeah reading! first up, i have Peggy Orenstein’s “Cinderella Ate my Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the new Girlie-Girl Culture.” its got glitter on the cover! the title pretty much sums up the content of the book. Orenstein writes that even though educational and professional opportunities are on the rise for today’s girls, American media oriented towards girls still encourages them to “equate identity with image, self-expression with appearance, femininity with performance, pleasure with pleasing, and sexuality with sexualization.”i’m certainly one to equate identity with image, as demonstrated in the beginning of this very post! :-pi think that self-expression and appearance and creativity and identity are all linked….but when a girl is taught that their appearance is the only way they can express themselves, thats not ok… the book is not pure pink bashing though. Orenstein began all this research with the question, is this princess mania a true threat? a “more sinister marketing plot with long-term negative impacts”? or is it just a harmless phase? the book is heavily research-based and full of information but is written with humor and reads more like an opinion piece than a scholarly article yayyyyyall quotes from the always reputable amazon.com …………………………………………………………………………. if that starts feeling a little too educational, i’ve got Thomas Pynchon’s “The Crying of Lot 49″ from dear bestie Alex Ebstein of Baltimore’s Nudashank Gallery. its Pynchon’s shortest novel but the language is still as dense and verbose as “V”. but its still sexy, poetic non-fiction. a beach-read i like Pynchon. to me he reads like the funny, surreal side of Vonnegut + Henry Miller‘s sexy adventuring inner monologue writing style. …………………………………………………………………………. and theeeen, i want to order Jon Ronson’s “The Psychopath Test” first off, awesome cover…and then ive always been interested in psycho killersss in this book, Ronson learns how to administer Robert Hare’s psychopath test and then goes on to interview prisoners, psychologists and criminally insane people. here, ill let him explain it, hes got the cutest voice :-p

………………………………………………………….. 17) the countess–jacuzzi boys tropical death metal from florida…

………………………………………………………….. 18) you were sleeping–jay reatard ………………………………………………………….. 19) beacons–heavy hawaii ………………………………………………………….. 20) nine million rainy days–the jesus and mary chain i almost cant listen to the j and m chain anymore, too many boys lost in those darklands …………………………………………………………..
21) crying–roy orbison
:’-(………………………………………………………….. 22) art vandelay–ducktails ducktails is Real Estate’s matthew mondanile’s solo side project this other track, “killin’ the vibe” features Panda Bear ………………………………………………………….. 23) must fight current–deerhoof it sounds like this is a video from their live album bibidi babidi boodownload it here!!!!!! ………………………………………………………….. 24) health and strength–jeff the brotherhood pretty sure this is my favorite song on the album. and look! it got reviewed on pitchfork!!<—–click the linkk ………………………………………………………….. 25) wild I–the babies isnt she lovely… ………………………………………………………….. 26) a hundred highways– dirty beaches tawain-born Alex Zhang Hungta is way into Suicide and the 50’s….obvihere’s a cool interview with him from pitchfork and then, check him out…pretty legit… ………………………………………………………….. 27) my halo–atlas sound deerhunter’s bradford cox’s side project… ………………………………………………………….. 28) confirmation– wild nothing ………………………………………………………….. 29) round the moon–summer camp all this footage is from the 1970 Swedish film “En kärlekshistoria”, or “A Swedish Love Story” a really cute and endearing film about two teens falling in love. bike gangs, smokin cigarettes, schoolyard fights, pony tails and leather jackets, flirting in the arcade, intense drama for no reason…it really captures the whole awkward teen romance thing.

i miss fireflies, i miss the rain…ill trade it all in for a plague of cicadas and floods in memphis (even though, not brought on by rains and perhaps that was tasteless…) california’s not for me. i mean, its 70 degrees and sunny all the time. i dont think im even allowed to self-identify as a blonde without “feeling home” in california… but, i miss everybody, and i guess im just a southern girl at heart… so! im transferring to memphis university! ………………………………………………………. but first, my mom’s getting married!! wedding party!! my dear bestie turned model elle will be my date and we will be in attendance at Tio’s Tacos art garden!! soon to be featured on Mtv cribs, HA…i didnt even know Mtv was still around… anyhoo, wanna see what im wearing? elie tahari dress. gold and sequins and snakeskin details 1996 flash-back with some coral steve madden sandals mac lipstick in morange, new fave summer lip color, so ORANGE agate slice and gold foil earrings from anthropologie pretty pretty trying to do something simple and slick with my hair, gonna channel chloe sevigny pool-side with some push-back bangs.

i think all together it brings about an alexander mcqueen vibe. DRESS UP! …………………………………………………………. after the wedding, my dad is coming and driving with me cross country to nashville. we’re gonna take a week or so hanging out in the desert, drinking date shakes, visiting canyons and parks and stuff. ADVENTURE! ………………………………………………………… it hasn’t all been misery out here. since coming to california, i’ve collected 16 varieties of succulents and 3 cactus cuttings, including a cactus cutting stolen from joshua tree national parki hope they acclimate well to tenn…. i never knew there were so many different shapes and colors of these. and some of them flower! and they just grow naturally around here, because california is certainly beautiful… ……………………………………………………… and i finished a semester here at Cal State Fullerton! six transferrable credits, yayyy! i saw this inspiring interview with the etsy success story dreamboat yokoo… “i just feel like theres no room to be mediocre, and its not because i have some kind of disorder its simply because i enjoy immensely being great“

“i love being hardcore”

i try to keep things like that in mind. im kind of a lazy person, sometimes i forget that i want to be great.

so ive quit my job, and im moving to california!! no joke. gonna live like jayne mansfield in a plush pink bathroom… im going to start attending cal state fullerton in order to study cultural anthropology. yes! but in the mean time, my mind is free to wander and consider delicious things….and then have the time to actually MAKE those things!! so heres a quick list of tasty things ive made recently…also note that i didnt actually take pictures of anything. whoops………………………………………………….natalie deefor thanksgiving, i made this ginger-honey pumpkin pie from epicurious. i also made the candied pecans from this recipe to put on top. however i made them into CURRIED candied pecans, delicious. notes: somehow, the pie itself was a bit wet….i dont know how to fix that. i also put WAY more fresh ginger than called for and it was delicous!-the curried candied pecans…i made them, and just poured the whole sugar mess out of the pan and onto the pie, so that it formed a big praline on top…if i were to do it again, id seperate out the nuts on parchment paper per the recipe suggestion. comments: “how could i ever eat normal pumpkin pie again?!”- jessica………………………………………………….for the hell of it, i made these: mrs. beans famous nutmeg ginger apple snaps from fantastic mr. fox ……they were alright. a) i think it turns out i dont like nutmeg. b) they were kinda too cakey, but good with ice cream. the next day they were better, snappier and crispier. but then the next day, the apples were sorta rubbery and blugh.also, i burnt out the hand mixer trying to beat this dough together. whoops.butmy sweet tooth boyfriend thought they were awesome. ……………………………………………………….then i stumbled upon this west african peanut butter soup recipe . i stayed completely faithful to the recipe and there was wayyyy too much peanut butter… we also used quinoa instead of rice because quinoa is a complete complex protein! BALLIN‘ verdict: too much peanut butter not enough tomato. we remedied this at dinner by serving it with lime which added kind of an exotic flair. leftover idea!: made buckwheat soba noodles and then just used the soup as a sauce. YUM!………………………………………………………..giuseppe arcimboldo, ca 1573nashville has been recieving a heavy dose of wintry mix lately, so i made a big pot of my mom’s veggie chili. she had made it up herself so she had a little trouble writing out a recipe for me, but here tis:

veggie chili for 5:

just use whole vegetables and double everything if there are more people

ok – peel and cube the potato and sweet potato and cook in some boiling salted water about 15 min. to start to soften. Drain and set aside. -so chop up the garlic, onion and peel the eggplant and cube it, chop all the veggies into delectable bite sized pieces.-saute-the eggplant in a LOT of olive oil as it soaks it all up. You’ve got to brown it. Set aside out of the pan. -More olive oil, saute the garlic and onion. Set aside w/the eggplant. -More olive oil, saute the carrots, green pepper, zuke and squash just to brown them. Don’t let them get mushy. Set aside w/the other stuff. -More olive oil, saute the shrooms. Set aside w/the other stuff. -Get a BIG POT and dump in the beans and corn with their juice, the tomatoes and sauce. -Put a little bit of water in the frying pan and deglaze all the good veggie juices and dump that in too. -Dump all the veggies in and the Chili-o. You might need to add a little water. Or beer. Or wine. Or V-8. Or whatever. -If you have some leftovers that seem appropriate add them. -Cook on low for a coupla hours. The longer the better. Also you can turn it off for a while if it is too hot. NO BOILING. Bubbling is slightly undesirable. Make some cornbread at the last minute and serve it hot. Sour cream, Greek yogurt, grated cheese, guacamole are all also delish. Don’t put tabasco or Sriracha or anything real hot in it because it will get hotter as it cooks. Just let people put it on theirs. xoxox

my room mate elle insisted on fritos rather than corn bread and that was fantastic, like frito pie! also the cinnamon takes it over the top. so so goood so in our house, when we want heat, we turn to banjamin’s ghost pepper elixir!
the ghost pepper is the hottest pepper in the world! but ben’s sauce and dry rub are spicy and flavorful, not just “tasteless heat“. i need to figure out some kind of portable shaker to keep in my purse because i am seriously addicted.

so!
this is my 100th post!
and ive made you a mix tape!
its 35 songs long!
just some songs that have been sticking in my head lately. sum sum summer jams/a little romantic mayb/whatever…*****CLICK THIS LINK FOR THE DL*****….it might take forever
the title is from this lecture from 1925…

1* ain’t got no sense–teenage head
1979, “Canada’s answer to the Ramone’s”…found them after watching Class of 1984, previously mentioned in twist ……………………………………………………………………………….
2* till the end of the day–the kinks
1965, i think this is my favorite kinks song…i like their gratuitous use of “yeah” as punctuation… ……………………………………………………………………………….
3* in my room–best coast
2010, Bethany Cosentino covers the Beach Boy’s classiccc….heres an interview with her on All Things Considered… ……………………………………………………………………………….
4* like flies on sherbert–alex chilton
1979, from the Like Flies on Sherbert album, about which AllMusic says, “Regrettably, this album cannot be recommended under any circumstances”… ……………………………………………………………………………….
5* looking for some action–bare wires
2010orsomething, coming to Danzig’s Sept 3rddd! ……………………………………………………………………………….
6* do it to me tonight–hasil adkins
1955-65, common themes for this Appalachian rockabilly musician included love, heartbreak, police, death, decapitation, hot dogs, aliens, and chicken… ……………………………………………………………………………….
7* click your fingers applauding–roky erickson and the aliens
1981, Roky was the lead singer of 60s psych band the 13th Floor Elevators. this album was made much later, after Roky was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was given involuntary electroconvulsive therapy…wicked! ……………………………………………………………………………….
8* the list–ariel pink
2007, yall know how much i love him. i got to see him a while ago at the bottletree! fun, good band, but a very structured performance, no banter in between songs…but i do love how he STILL dresses like a chick tween from the 90’s. ……………………………………………………………………………….
9* try–delta 5
1979, from Leeds England, feminist new wavers…i heard them for the first time on some college radio between Baltimore and Norfolk… ……………………………………………………………………………….
10* time stands still–cut copy
2004, Australian….eezy breezy indie pop, and the singer is cute or something…? ……………………………………………………………………………….

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14* what should i do–the shaggs
1968, lets just call it art brut rock from New Hampshire…the shaggs was composed of sisters Dot, Betty and Helen Wiggins…their grandmother had learned in a palmreading session that they would form a popular music group, so their father pulled the girls out of school and bought them instruments and music lessons. the girls themselves had never planned to be a band. they recorded one album, “Philosophy of the World”, which recieved a lot of attention when Frank Zappa mentioned it in an interview. apparantly theres a tribute album featuring artists like Deerhoof and R. Stevie Moore covering Shaggs songs… ……………………………………………………………………………….
15* summertime blues–the flying lizards
1979, my dad had this album when i was little… ……………………………………………………………………………….
16* aint you–kleenex/LiLiPUT
1978, Switzerland, pavin the way for Riot Grrls or whatevrrr… ……………………………………………………………………………….
17* 52 girls–the b-52’s
1979, Athen’s GA, kooky quirky i wanna dance in a flapper dress toooooo ……………………………………………………………………………….
18* little fluffy clouds–the orb
1991…..mmm, im not that wise on house music culture…but, i like this ambient, early-morning rave stuff…reminds me of my childhood obsession with deee-lite
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19* vacation–beach fossils
2010, brooklyn…got to see these cuties at Nashville’s Dead Freakin’ Weekend. thats Bekah Cope’s pic… ……………………………………………………………………………….

21* dying for it–the vaselines
1986, glasgow scotland…a little-known band with a short career, Kurt Cobain covered their songs “Molly’s Lips”, “Son of a Gun” and “Jesus Don’t Want Me for a Sunbeam” bringing them exposure…also they are super cuties

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23* sleepyhead–passion pit
2009, boston…another guilty pop pleasure! what can i say, im a sucker for dumb beats…thats the originial sample they use, celtic singer mary o’hara’s “oro mo bhaidin”…i really miss a good pop dance party ……………………………………………………………………………….
24* schizophrenia–sonic youth
from 1987’s Sister album, this is the song i turn to when theres nothing else i care to listen to…previously discussed goo in it was all whirlwind, heat and flash… ……………………………………………………………………………….

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26* annie–mirrors
1973, Cleveland. by 1975, mirrors had reformed to become the Styrenes. aaand i saw them at Bettys this past winter! ……………………………………………………………………………….
27* tonight–the spits
2009, Seattle…another radical show i got to witness! this time at the Stinkwater supper club…good times! fog machine, fire, stirrin the pit. punched in the face fun…pic by bekah ……………………………………………………………………………….
28* vertigo–the screamers
1977, LA. the band never released an official record but was extremely popular in the club scene. they were famous for elaborate stage shows and costumes, probably inspired by frontman, Tomata du Plenty’s relationship with the Cockettes, a psychadelic drag queen group from San Francisco… ……………………………………………………………………………….
29* freaksout–hubble bubble
1978, Brussels…short-lived punk experiment of Roger Jouret/Plastic Bertrand ……………………………………………………………………………….
30* lorelei–tom tom club
1981, LOVE YOU TOM TOM CLUB! talking head’s tina weymouth and chris frantz…this debut album also has the song Genius of Love on it which was heavily sampled in the 80s and 90s…most notably by Mariah Carey for the song Fantasy…i mentioned my love of tom tom club to a friend and he suggested i listen to Bohannon, bad ass disco bandleader from the 70s…super slick and sexyyy. makes everyone else sound lazy and severely under-whelming… ……………………………………………………………………………….
31* its needless–the toms
1979, New Jersey, the toms is actually a one man band named Tom Marolda, an established record producer and sound engineer… ……………………………………………………………………………….
32* try again–big star
1972, this song just breaks my heart… ……………………………………………………………………………….

33* baby, you’re just you–the pastels
1989, Glasgow Scotland, frontman Stephen Pastel’s record label 53rd and 3rd carried Jesus and Mary Chain and The Vaselines…connections! they look like such bebes…

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34* andmoreagain–love
1967, LA. another band that shoulda woulda coulda been bigger. apparantly they just refused to tour… ……………………………………………………………………………….